Memory Craft Improve your memory using the most powerful methods from around the world

Cover......Page 1
Praise......Page 2
Also by the author......Page 3
Title Page......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
CONTENTS......Page 8
LIST OF FIGURES......Page 14
INTRODUCTION......Page 16
What you’ll learn......Page 20
Why memorise?......Page 24
CHAPTER 1: A medieval starting place......Page 26
Medieval memory arts......Page 27
Visual alphabets......Page 28
My visual alphabet......Page 32
Memorising anything, from a shopping list to a speech......Page 34
Medieval bestiaries......Page 38
My bestiary for memorising names......Page 40
CHAPTER 2: Creating a memory palace......Page 46
The first written record of memory palaces......Page 47
Australian Aboriginal songlines......Page 49
Creating a memory palace for the countries of the world......Page 51
Memory palaces in history......Page 55
The modern tale of Solomon Shereshevsky and Alexander Luria......Page 59
Virtual memory palaces......Page 61
Continuous memory palaces—my History Journey......Page 62
Why absolutely everywhere needs a name......Page 66
My History Journey......Page 67
Mnemonic verses......Page 71
Dominic’s Rule of Five......Page 73
CHAPTER 3: Stories, imagination and the way your brain works......Page 76
Indigenous knowledge systems......Page 77
Memory and the human brain......Page 81
Exceptional memorisers are made, not born......Page 84
Putting it all together—learning foreign languages......Page 86
Learning French......Page 87
Songs reworded......Page 91
Memory palaces everywhere......Page 92
Memorising vocabulary isn’t enough......Page 93
Online courses......Page 94
A very different language: Chinese......Page 95
Chinese and me......Page 98
I chose my hook, the radicals......Page 100
A final realisation......Page 102
CHAPTER 4: Characters, characters everywhere......Page 103
Māori ancestors......Page 105
Introducing rapscallions......Page 106
My cultural ancestors......Page 107
Ancestors in the History Journey......Page 110
The Dominic System for numbers......Page 112
Characters in the stars......Page 118
CHAPTER 5: Weird and wonderful portable memory aids......Page 121
The lukasa of the Luba people......Page 123
Encoding the birds......Page 125
Adapting for change......Page 129
Memory boards galore......Page 132
Ceremonial cycle balls......Page 134
Genealogies in wood......Page 136
My genealogy staves......Page 140
Objects acting on a tiny stage......Page 141
The memory device that never leaves: your body......Page 145
Astronomy in the palm of my hands......Page 147
Wearing your memory aids as jewellery......Page 151
Knot your strings into a personal khipu......Page 154
CHAPTER 6: When art becomes writing......Page 158
When and what was the first writing?......Page 159
The start of the art-to-writing story......Page 160
Tibetan mandalas as a memory palace......Page 162
My mandalas for science and law......Page 164
Are they mnemonic symbols or are they writing?......Page 166
From art to writing in China......Page 170
From Sumer to the world......Page 174
Lessons from Greco-Roman times......Page 177
CHAPTER 7: Lessons from the Middle Ages......Page 183
The art changes purpose......Page 184
Medieval lesson 2: Add emotion to everything......Page 187
Medieval lesson 3: Lay your information out in grids......Page 188
Medieval lesson 4: Give character to abstract concepts......Page 190
Medieval lesson 5: Break it down into small portions......Page 191
Medieval lesson 6: Separate those short portions on the page......Page 192
Medieval lesson 7: As always, use memory palaces......Page 193
Medieval lesson 8: Meditate upon your memory palaces......Page 194
Medieval lesson 9: Decorate your walls, but do it systematically......Page 196
Medieval lesson 10: Leave room on your notes for additions......Page 197
Medieval lesson 11: Add playful little drawings......Page 198
My medieval manuscript on musical instruments......Page 199
Memory treatises of the Renaissance......Page 200
CHAPTER 8: Learning in school and throughout life......Page 202
Permanent memory palaces for all students......Page 205
Using the same memory palace for science and fine arts......Page 207
Using song, stories and the wonderful rapscallions......Page 212
Let’s sing, dance and make musical memories......Page 214
Memorising word for word......Page 221
Memorising in mathematics......Page 225
Memorising equations......Page 229
So much to memorise: medicine and law......Page 230
CHAPTER 9: Does memory have to decline when you age?......Page 234
Is memory loss normal?......Page 235
What is dementia?......Page 237
Memory palaces and dementia......Page 238
The power of music and memories......Page 241
Prevention is better than a cure (which doesn’t yet exist anyway)......Page 242
Dementia and identity......Page 243
A winter count for your life......Page 244
CHAPTER 10: Memory athletes battle it out......Page 251
The disciplines......Page 252
Memorising a shuffled deck of cards......Page 254
Adding an action and object to your person......Page 256
A haunting fear of ghosts......Page 258
Memorising numbers......Page 259
Sidetracking to memorising pi......Page 263
Memorising strings of 1 and 0......Page 265
Names and Faces......Page 267
Random Words......Page 268
The glamour event: Speed Cards......Page 269
Australian Memory Champion, Anastasia Woolmer......Page 270
The impact of training on concentration......Page 273
APPENDIX A: Table of memory methods......Page 292
Pic section......Page 276
APPENDIX B: Bestiary......Page 298
APPENDIX C: Prehistory Journey......Page 302
APPENDIX D: My chosen ancestors......Page 314
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 320
ABOUT THE AUTHOR......Page 324
NOTES......Page 326
INDEX......Page 328